How I Broke the Seal on Podcasting Improvement Dave – David Kolmer
In 2023, I revived this blog, Improvement Dave, which I originally started in 2017 while earning my Master’s Degree in Educational Technology but had since abandoned. Why did I bring it back? The answer is simple: I attended a session by Betty Dannewitz at DEVLEARN 2023 on podcasting. Her session not only gave me the confidence to think about starting a podcast but also provided logical steps to follow. Her first piece of advice? “Just keep writing.” I thought, Well, that’s easy—I can just pick up where I left off with my blog from grad school.
I posted the above passage into Adobe Firefly AI and it gave me these images:
Keep On Writing
What I didn’t realize was how much this simple act of writing would impact my personal and professional growth, as well as my sense of identity and self-worth. From participating in daily push-up challenges (Push-Ups for St. Jude) to learning 3D modeling on Adobe in just two weeks (30-Day 3D Model Challenge), writing more turned out to be excellent advice.
Feeling inspired, I reached out to Betty as both a fan and a student to let her know how much she had motivated me. She responded with kindness and even became an ally and friend. Emboldened, I pitched her a complex concept for a show exploring how the musical Hamilton relates to Learning and Development. To my disappointment, she politely declined, saying she didn’t want to open that particular can of worms.
I am a Blackstar Just Come With Me We Were Born Upside-Down I’m a Blackstar
A Hero Must Fail
At first, this rejection stung. I felt vulnerable and as though I had failed. However, after some reflection, I realized that the only person truly letting me down was me.
So, I returned to writing, regrouped, and started building a sound studio as I added an office to my home. (Building My Sound Booth). I used my undergrad knowledge of stage lighting to hang lights in my office and began vlogging alongside blogging, creating videos of myself speaking.
I kept finding ways to improve and grow. I strengthened the Improvement Dave brand I had created back in 2017 into a visual brand and a creative identity.
Eventually, the tables turned. Betty invited me to appear on her show, If You Ask Betty. For some, this might just be another item on their calendar, but for me, it was a milestone. I had reached a point where I could feel proud of my progress. Everyone’s path is unique, and while I sometimes take my accomplishments for granted, others view them as remarkable or even unattainable. The effort I had invested in developing my writing voice, building my brand, and learning new skills paid off. I was on the show. I prepared extensively, and from my perspective, it went pretty well.
This blog post celebrates that achievement and curates the content that came from this experience.
Highlights
The Teaser I Was Featured In (My favorite artifact): LinkedIn Post
The Podcast Episode: “I’m Just Ken” (Or use player below.)
Bonus Content
When Betty shared her favorite part of “Barbie” (2023) Film, I just couldn’t resist making a cartoon of it. (NSFW)
This video is not for children if you can not tell by the cover image.
Conclusion
So, I did it—I got on the show, and it all happened so quickly. I gave it 100%, even if some people may have been aggravated by my takes on social equity and gender as a social construct. I’ve moved past that now. No matter what you do, about 30% of people will dislike it, 30% will love it, and 30% won’t even know it happened. The key is to keep moving forward. Either way, I got a new friend out of the deal so it’s a win.
Next, I’m focusing on getting out there more, taking more chances, worrying less, and finding a way to launch my own podcast.
Real Speakers Speak to the Need to Need Speaker Reels
I recently learned from my friend, mentor, and famous person that I know (and admire) Kassy LaBorie, that if you want to speak at conferences and be a keynote speaker you need a “speaker reel”. So, I very professionally, (And quickly), Googled up what the #MATH a speaker reel was and saw some things.
A Smartphone Works
A Speaker Reel is short shots of you speaking from multiple angles and backgrounds. Ideally you should be presenting something that is on brand for your overall message…
Behold, I made a speaker reel within 1 hour of hearing about it for the first time. I am a Real Speaker, I speak.
VIDEO MUSIC: Ani Kuni – Polo & Pan CC
I attached my iPhone12 Mini to a standard camera tripod using an attachment I purchased on Amazon for ~$15 USD. I placed the camera pointing at the scene, started video record, and then walked into place. I edited out all of this extra footage in post production using TechSmith Camtasia, but iMovie or a version of Windows Movie Maker could have just as easily been used.
You don’t need to pay a million dollars for a speaker reel, just make it with your phone. Using a real microphone would be preferable to achieve a more favorable result. I did not do this here because I made this in a fit of passion to make a point.
Conclusion
This project had several iterations but overall it was created in about a day. I posted it on YouTube and linked it to Instagram and LinkedIn. There were about 30 views initially and it helped me land a speaking slot at the local ATD Learning conference in St. Louis, MO.
So, I would argue that this experiment worked.This supports the hypothesis that it is the idea that matters. It is the concept that is important, not the production quality or resolution. Having a high production value is important but that is second to having substance or a message. A mediocre idea can be propped up with high production values, but a stellar idea will shine on its own.
My First Speak
If you will be near St. Louis, MO come check out my SPEAK on Not Blocking the Learner Journey titled “Get Out of The Way!”
In a previous post, I declared I Can Beach, however, I did not delve deeply into what that means and left it up to your interpretation. I plan to dig deeper into what “Beach” means in this post.
Prologue
In 2023, Greta Gerwig directed a groundbreaking film about the push and pull between the patriarchy and a matriarchy. The film, Barbie, features the iconic doll and her rumored romantic partner, Ken. At best, he is a 2D accessory to Barbie.
Though the film is about Barbie, Ken takes a personal journey too. He has an identity crisis when he travels from Barbieland to the real world. At first, the real world is very different for Ken, and he soon realizes he can’t even “beach” anymore. This simple and yet abstract action that Ken partakes in, known as beach, is not a job title, it’s not a profession, and it might not even be a complete concept. However, there is a certain understanding that you can glean from the movie but is difficult to put into words. Let me tell you what I think it means to “beach”.
We can all BEACH.
My Beach is not Ken’s BEACH.
We all BEACH differently. This is Improvement Dave, and… I beach.
Relaxed – The first step is to be relaxed. “Beach” is never forced, it is summoned.
Not complicated– Identify the next right thing and then do that. This will not lead to being overwhelmed this will lead to being on the right path with the least amount of mental delineation.
Simple does not mean stupid. Do not make bad decisions. Work slowly, think about it, and take the next best small step
In Thai, we say Sabaii Sabaii Dee “easy easy good” In many ways we could just say look at Thai culture, traditional Thai culture, and in that way, you can identify BEACH.
Beautiful aged Thailand old man sincerely smiling at camera on street food market. He offers fruits and vegetables to locals and tourists from biking cart. Local small business and traveling concept.
I lived in Northern Thailand for 7 lucky years. The Thai people smile all the time. There are 16 unique smiles in the Thai language. There is a sad smile. Thailand is called “The Land of Smiles”. Did you know that when you smile because you are happy, the scientifically measurable mental state is the equivalent of smiling when you are not happy, but then you become happy because you smiled? So, in other words, smiling all the time is a reverse-engineered way to just choose happiness. Now THAT is Beach!
#2 Beach is Informal
Not formal, also Not trashy, but quality
Relaxed fit, No slim fit, and Not super baggy
Good example: Trendy, but not expensive, Sandals from Nordstrom Rack Nordstrom rack. Not sandals from Bloomingdale and not the cheapest sandals at Walmart or Amazon.
So, I am using fashion as a metaphor in the bullets above. This is not about where you buy your clothes. However, if you search at Bloomingdales there is an inverse relationship of correlation with being BEACH. This is about how you present yourselves overall and can include a more informal thought process, posture, or style about you. If you will go there with me, we can call it “Chill Vibes“.
Speaking of Chill vibes, this song will take you to BEACH wherever you are.
Groove Armada broke the ceiling with this absolute chill Banger!
#3 …But wait, “I BEACH”… that doesn’t even make sense
Not making sense is a crucial step in the creative process.
If something doesn’t make sense now that doesn’t mean it won’t make sense in the future when you better understand it. After you nail it down and know what it is and what it isn’t.
Being bold and brave enough not to make sense is a way to innovate and try new things out.
This might lead you to a new solution that is better than what we have now.
Stop Making Sense – in 1984 the music group The Talking Heads did a tour called “Stop Making Sense” where David Byrne begged us to let go and stop making sense. It is arguably some of the best live recordings of stage rock/funk music ever compiled. In each song, the band adds a new band member.
Just Dot it. STOP MAKING SENSE.
Epilogue
BEACH ON! Before we get to the summary let’s watch the scene this is taken from.
In conclusion, the phrase “I Beach” is an illogical one, but that does not mean that we can not pull meaningful direction from it. That is the whole point of this point. Simply because something doesn’t make social sense does not mean it has no value.
Epilogue 2.0
Also, on the Podcast mentioned above, the Hostess with the Mostest, Betty Dannewitz admits that her favorite scene in the Barbie movie was right when Barbie and Ken traveled to the real world and some construction workers hit on Barie, so she explains that “Oh, we do not have Genetals.” …AND, since I BEACH, I made a cartoon out of it, and I hope you enjoy it!
Oh, yes I did!
Credits
The Betty Dannewitz did copy editing on this writing and suggested it to be a VLOG video, but I left it as a Blog post. (Mostly because I am behind and I have COVID-19.)
Song Credits taken from Wikipedia
“At the River” is a song released in 1997 by British duo Groove Armada.
Back in September of 2023, I took a lot of videos about all the fun I was having on a work trip. It took me a while to get to a point where I wanted to work through that video footage and share it. In fact, I grew a beard for no shave in November and have since shaved it off for my wife’s birthday. So here we are a whole beard later.
Are work trips always fun, well, not really, especially if you have to travel all the time for work. I have done that and after a few months, it gets old. However, there is a secret weapon that I plan to explore further and it threatens to be a theme for me moving forward. That concept is the one of Novelty. Specifically how novelty can increase your lifespan, or at least your perception of your lifespan, which to be fair is the same thing… more on that later, but for now, let’s talk about how amazing this short work trip was. I flew out to Savanna with a layover in Nashville on Southwest Airlines on a Wednesday morning. That night we had dinner with the whole team and on Thursday we had our big meeting. I could have flown home on Thursday but I snuck in a bit more novelty by hanging around Thursday night and flying home Friday morning.
I do not want to downplay the Pirate Nature of this work trip. So look out for the pirate themes… Not sure how ya could miss it ya SWAB! offen’ ya goes ta swab Vee starbird bow. Make Haste! A.I. review shared that I jump around aimlessly from topic to topic here and do not have a point. How else should a good Pirate behave?
AdobeStock_467304940
Savannah Was Great
So, off to a good start on this business trip. We were in a fun town. It’s not easy to have such a novel experience when you are stuck in the belly button of Newark. Luckily the video below starts at the Savannah airport and quickly progresses a restaurant called The Pirate’s House – ARGGHHH.
Travel for Work or Pleasure?
…
Yes.
Well, why can’t it be both? With a bit of intentional effort, it usually can.
Although the reason for this trip was to capture feedback from our talented SMEs on the EPEC training content provided by NAED, the footage I captured had very little to do with that process. This is in part because I simply didn’t think to capture that video of us working, but also because we were discussing learning content that is developed for sale by the National Association of Electrical Distributors, so I didn’t feel comfortable doing so.
In hindsight (Which is normally in 20/20 they say) I should have captured more video of us actually working on the training project itself. It is not exactly exciting, (unless you are a learning nerd like I am or an electrical products nerd like our SMEs,) but it is nice to see how passionate our reviewers are about being factual and transparent in presenting the landscape of the electrical distribution market. Moving forward I think our Marketing team would enjoy having that sort of content on hand, so I might make an effort to start capturing it.
What We Did While Not Working
Now I have only been on two of these trips, but from what I gather we normally find time outside of working hours to just walk around. This time we were tipped off by one of our talented SMEs that there was a Prohibition Museum within walking distance of our hotel. So we definitely hit that up, and that is definitely represented in the video above. My leader, Kitty, found a fantastic restaurant to dine at called The Pirate’s House – ARGGHHH. (I would like to point out that this “ARGGHHH” was not added by me but by the top Google result for the restaurant’s home page. So, yeah, that says a lot about how cool this restaurant is.
What Does Adjacent Really Mean?
Also, while wandering around we ended up in the Adjacent hotel lobby …or the Hotel lobby that was adjacent to ours. Actually, I am not sure if it was adjacent or what would even make it adjacent, but I do like the word adjacent a lot. It makes me sound smart-ified. That Marriot Hotel Lobby which was adjacent to our Boutique hotel lobby was filled with Geode Gemstones. I will say, that I did read some of the words found on signs in this location. This was done to make me look more smart-fied in front of my Boss, Kitty, pictured right. While doing this reading of words, I learned that most of these GEODES are the largest samples of such crystals in all of the globe. That is laden with novelty!
Picture of Improvement Dave (David Kolmer) and Kitty Lasinski, (Dave’s boss) in front of the largest of this type of Geode known to the human species in all of the known meta-verses.
Geodes are really cool and fun to look at. I definately did NOT touch them. … well, not all of them, I mean.
Improvment Dave
Geodes for Days!
So, when I exported these images from iCloud to my PC laptop running Windows, they exported as HEIC files. Normally they do not do that and I am still not sure why they did that this time. I have seen HEIC file format when I export original files from the Mac “Photos” app to my Mac computer, but I have never seen that working on my PC.
At any rate, when I loaded Mac format images into ADOBE Premiere RUSH to create the video they all imported inverted (or upside-down for the uninitiated.) Maybe, I was holding my phone upside-down when I took this mess of selfies and my phone auto-rotated them? I normally only see this file suffix for images I have edited…
Color me Confused!
…and in awe of this ginormous silver Dinosaur skeleton!
So, I say all this to explain, that there is a group of photos I opened as a batch in my Microsoft image viewer and attempted to export as a batch but the batch export didn’t work. I still had to export them one at a time to convert them to PNG files, but at least they were not inverted like in ADOBE for PC.
Now, I could have probably used the HEIC files on my V-log here, because WordPress and the internet are both awesome! …but let me tell you I have had more problems working with these HEIC files than I can share here. I can’t submit them on government web pages, and they never work on the apps for my kid’s school, and that is being done on my iPhone that created them. So, I tend to go out of the way to avoid using the HEIC file format. Yes, Apple, I said it, your format stinks! It smells of wet lettuce. I am sure it is great for all these groundbreaking early-adaptor reasons that I don’t know about. Like some layered spectral benefit that will most likely never benefit me. Mostly they just make me wish I didn’t have an iPhone, and that says A LOT, because I love my iPhone, but I am a simple man.
For example, this is the largest GEODE of this chemical format in the world and it looks like a certain part of the male human anatomy which I will leave unsaid and unwritten at this juncture! Heh! it doesn’t even fit in the shot!
So, either way, many of the exports that I opened as a batch had the tint all messed up, but those are actually kind of cool! so I will post those now to add a dramatic effect to how cool these GEODES were! …I guess the tip was broken off. Oh Well! It’s still the biggest! Does size matter? Not when you are the biggest!
Kind of reminds me of something. It’s on the tip of my lip…
There was a gigantic skull in the floor! (Grammarly wants me to say “on” the Floor. No, Grammarly, NO, bad A.I., it was IN the floor, under glass, lying on a bed of sand… and some rocks and shells and such.)
Crazy Dino-Fish Skull IN the frakin’ FLOOR
So, of course, I laid my body down parallel to the floor for to photograph mine-self. Hello!? I am Dave, have you ever met me!?
Remember the featured image of this VLOG post!? Well, it even got caught up in the Multi-dimensionally powered MAC/PC image tint fuede!
Who is in this photo!? Wouldn’t you like to know! Do you really think they want to be associated with this disaster!?
Break down the Tiled Gallery Mosaic with Curved edges SELECTOR!
So, in conclusion, traveling with the National Association of Electrical Distributors of the United States of America is an Electrifying experience.
So even though this was on October 1st, I will consider this the final ride of my Cycling More Consistently in September Odyssey. We drove over an hour and a half total for a 1-hour ride along the Katy Trail just North of New Haven, MO.
That being said, this might be the last official tour of the challenge but I have already recorded the next installment of Improvement Dave cycling. It is in the woods, it is mountain biking and there will be blood (literally). So, yeah, I am not going to stop cycling or making cycling videos anytime soon.
Video Evidence of the Ride
This Video Highlights the Content Below
Getting Thereis Half the Fun
Google Maps recommends a route that is just over an hour.
We took the scenic route for 41 minutes.
My daughter threw up right around Balducci’s winery, which was one of our favorite wineries and pizza spots until it was bought by a large conglomerate and they ruined it. Sorry, not going to pay top dollar for frozen pizza. Now the only thing useful at Balducci’s is the dumpster.
We stopped at Quick Trip to get coffee and slushies. (The slushy and the crazy backwood roads are probably what caused my daughter to “blow chunks”.) …at any rate, I was so very excited to see that the bill was exactly $5.55 after tax. I explained to my family that 5 is my lucky number.
Why is #5 My Lucky Number
In the United States (and most of the West) 7 is lucky. In China, Thailand, and most of the East 9 is lucky. So I figure I can like any number I damn well, please.
The number of men is “5”. (6 being the number of the Satan, and GOD is 7 in traditional Judeo-Christian thought.)
The number I swam for as captain on the J.V. water polo team in high school, was “5”.
Our numerical system is based on repeating 10s so “5” is the center, to me this represents the “middle path” or the “straight and narrow”.
I spent 7 lucky years in Thailand and saying #5 in the Thai language is “Ha”. So “555” is synonymous with laughter or happiness.
I don’t really have a 5th reason, but I want a list of 5 reasons for why I like “5”. So, I imagine being 5 years old probably is one of the best ages to be. Self-aware, but you still have that “Child’s Mind.”
Where Were We?
Well, on my Google Maps, I dropped a pin long ago and named it “Riverside Jamz“. More specifically, we were north of New Haven, MO, due west of St. Louis, MO. Just south of a little town called Pinckney, MO. If you have never heard of Pinckney, that’s because it is in the middle of nowhere. Neither Google nor Wikipedia have a single picture or even a population count. Google Maps does not go through Pinckney and the best picture I could find online was this. (below)
Setting Up
When we arrived I started by getting all the bikes set up.
There was only one picnic table in the shade and the table top was not level. I didn’t get a good picture of the table before I started to level it with the pile of limestone rocks nearby, but trust me it was not useable. I then leveled out the benches as well. We threw a quilt over the table and had a nice lunch of spring rolls, salad, and melon.
While we ate a few families drove by the road on little buggies, and then a family drove up in a truck pulling a pontoon boat. This made the trip feel like a short vacation away from our normal routine.
The Ride
After we ate we packed up our picnic stuff and got on the bikes. For a 41-minute drive one way we did a nice 1 hour ride on our bikes. So, that was a lot of driving for a 1-hour bike ride, but we just really liked this spot because of the old bridge right on the river. We have stopped at this little spot on the side of the road 3 or 4 times now.
The only issue we had on the ride was that a chain fell off the gear so we had a fun time working on getting that put back on as a team.
We found it one time while driving home from my uncle’s farm out in Osage County, MO. This is also known as the middle of nowhere, MO.
It was another perfect day. Living life to the fullest, sucking the sweet marrow out of life, and making great memories.
Music
Polo & Pan – Ani Kuni (CC) Polo & Pan – Feel Good (CC) John_Kensy_Music from Pixabay Mindfulness Relaxation & Meditation Music (CC) To Hot to Play, Lobo Loco Free Music Archive (CC)
Hello, 2023! May you bring me focus and consistency.
I recently read a post written by a friend named Stephanie Gerald. She was inspired by a friend (who will remain unknown) to have a word for a year. Since this came at the beginning of a year and the end of another year it resounds of a new years resolution. However, living your life according to a word seems so much more possible than going to the gym every day. It’s an ideal, something to strive for. Stephanie was nice enough to share the words she has had from the past few years and I love them: Intentional, Courage, Power, and the newest one Grit, inspired by the great Angela Duckworth.
I wanted to steal one of Stephanie’s words because they were so grand and illustrious, but I realized I need to be honest. In a way, honesty was my word from 2022. as I shared in a previous blog post, HONESTY. Now if you have read ANY of my recent blog posts, you will know that I recently went to my first DEVLEARN conference, (and I promise I will get over that someday), but for now, it is still a huge landmark in my career and life in general. While I was there, the learning guild offered these windows of unlimited coffee, and boy did take advantage of that. There was also an espresso bar at the Dochebo booth and I knew the barista on a first-name basis. I don’t even need to mention how much free alcohol was available.
Me at the height of my caffeine addiction being chased by the angel of death at DEVLEARN.
Either way, by Friday I was revved up like a locomotive. I attended a class on Podcasts hosted by the profound Betty Danowitz, from If You Ask Betty. I don’t recall why but there was some sort of delay in the training and Betty asked if anyone knew any jokes. So guess who started shouting out his favorite dad jokes? Yes, if you answered me, then you are correct. After the third joke, Betty asked me to sit in the front row to be her co-host. This was flattering but I knew she was just trying to keep the Heckler close to her so she could keep an eye on him. (Betty Shared a picture of me in this state but it looks like my chat history doesn’t go that far back on Linked In. Either way that embarrassing photo is not the point.)
Now, I was very engaged in this course on Podcasts, and I’d like to start my podcast soon, but for now, I can gather my thoughts in this blog. As preparation, I have also started listening to the I Love Betty podcast and writing on it religiously. (I am wondering why she is not sponsoring my blog, but I need to remember to take baby steps.) One of the Podcasts that has resounded with me over time was with Tim Slade about building your brand. All the talk about choosing colors and fonts made sense and didn’t phase me, but one thing stood out, it shocked me. The goal is to be consistent with colors, fonts, and designs AND in your behavior. To be true to your real self all the time. Often, the only thing I am consistent at is being random. It’s not because I am overly scatterbrained or legitimately mad, but because my brand of humor is conceptual and abstract. So, I realized, I say and do random things to be funny. In other words, hoping it will make people like me more. However, this often backfires with people who don’t know me well. People think I am being serious and I offend them or concern them. Or even worse, they don’t laugh.
So now that I am being more honest with myself, and the world, I want to take it a step further and be more consistent. Well, how do I do that? I have already taken a few steps.
Improvement Dave 